Counting teardrops
by dumplingdoo
Summary: Gai was their sensei. They thought he was invincible he was after all Gai. But Gai was also human, he was incapable of immortality and now he's incapable from patching up the rifts in Lee, Tenten and Neji's friendship...
1. Chapter 1

_A seventeen year old Teten looked up at her ex-sensei with tears in her eyes, Neji placed a hand on her and Lee's shoulder. Tears were streaming from Lee's eyes as he looked at Gai._

_Gai smiled at the three jonin. They've gone such a long way. They were no longer his team. No longer a failure with a dream, a girl that played with knives and an angry child prodigy._

_" Three years will go by without you guys knowing it. It'll feel like I'd be back tomorow!" and like that Gai was away in a flash..._

_

* * *

_

Gai Sensei comes back today

The twenty year old Tenten lazily rolled to her side, and blinked her tired eyes open.

Popping out at her were bold, pink letters that read: "!GAI SENSEI COMES BACK TODAY!"

Across the box '26th' on her calendar, Lee had kindly taken the courtesy to remind her that their old teacher- whom she teased for still calling their old teacher sensei- was coming back from a solo mission. She contemplated under her duvet whether she could actually be bothered to trek over to the gates. Lee would definitely be there asking to carry back his idol's bags, or offer to give him a foot rub. Neji would probably be there as well, she heard him mutter something about greeting Gai back because Lee made him promised. Well, she might as well.

Tenten got dressed and ran a comb through her chestnut hair before securing them into 2 buns on either side of her head. She sighed at herself in the mirror. Although thankful she had not got any premature wrinkles, she was staring at the face of her 17 year old self. She'd wanted Gai to see how much she'd grown since her Jonin graduation party.

Tenten began walking down the street; she'd never been walking around Konoha so early in the morning. She'd lived here all her life, she was sure her view on little Konoha won't be much different after a stroll in the morning. The shops had yet to be opened; it was silent but not creepy or derelict. It was so calm and peaceful. The dew glistened on the evergreen leave in the trees. Tenten supposed she had taken the beauty of this village, that she had lived here all her life, for granted.

The sight of familiar pink hair sprinting across the perfect street reminded her it was indeed Konoha she was waling in. Sakura held out both arms and hoisted Tenten over her head.

"Wha-? SAKURA! I NEED TO GO TO THE GATES NOW! LEE AND NEJI ARE THERE! PUT ME DOWN!" shouted Tenten, struggling to break free from Sakura's freakishly strong man-strength.

"Tenten, the Hokage needs to talk to you." Sakura whispered between pants.

"What? Why?" asked Tenten,

"She just told me to get someone from your old team to her now." Tenten didn't bother asking Sakura any other questions, she knew as much about this as Tenten did.

The Hokage's Tower came into view and Sakura gently put Tenten down. "Just go into her room, sorry, but I've gotta run. Bye." Sakura muttered, running off again,

"Yes, thank you." Tenten called after her. Tenten hunkered up the spiralling stairs. _What the hell would Tsunade want with her so early in the morning? Did she even wake up at this time?_

Her train of thoughts were cut off as her head collided with the double doors of Tsunade's office. Two ANBU opened the doors abruptly, and Tenten hed rushed first to the floor along with her slender body. She blushed furiously, and straightened up. She knew without having to take off their masks that the two ANBU were smirking at their boss.

Surprisingly Tsunade did not look up from the documents on her desk. She didn't even tug at the sleeve of the ANBU standing behind her, and ask him if he had seen that, pointing at Tenten- which she had done dozens of times before.

_Dear God. She is definitely serious today_ Tenten thought.

The Hokage continued to stare hard at those documents as if they had the answer to her bad fortune in gambling.

"…Tenten." Tsunade called, eyes still fixated on the pieces of paper.

Tenten walked up to her desk.

Tsunade retrieved her hand from her side, and interlinked them.

Her head tilted up and her amber eyes met Tenten's deep brown ones.

Tenten face at least hadn't changed a bit since she was in Team Gai. Same oval face and brown hair pulled into 2 buns. She was still very cute and innocent looking. Tsunade felt a twinge of regret for calling Tenten into her office;

_Damn, should've called in that cold Hyuuga kid._ Tsunade told herself. Tenten looked at Tsunade tentively.

Tsunade took a gulp of air.

"Well…"she began…


	2. Chapter 2

Same as chap one, but Lee's pov

* * *

My sensei comes back today!

Rock Lee bounced out of bed. He smiled at his calendar. !!!GAI-SENSEI COMES BACK TODAY!!!

Was written in his own handwriting on the '26th' box.

He'd been longing for this day for so long. He'd been counting the seconds since Gai had been sent on this mission 3 long years ago. He got dressed- green jumpsuit per usual. He jumped out from his window, breathed in the morning air. As he skipped on his way to the gates he felt his stomach churn at the thought of being reunited with his beloved sensei.

_Ah. I should definitely carry sensei's bags back. Perhaps give him a foot rub? NO, I should DEFINITELY give him foot rub._

Lee spotted Neji at the gates. He'd not seen him since their mission 2 weeks ago. Lee gave Neji an enthusiastic childlike finger-flapping wave, which Neji returned with a little nod that only Lee, Tenten and Gai-sensei could translate as

_Yes. I acknowledge that you're happy to see me but please don't wave at me like that. _

"Hey Neji!" Lee smiled,

Neji 'Hn'ed,

"Isn't it wonderful that Gai sensei's coming back?"

Another 'Hn',

"You are free next Tuesday aren't you?"

"Yes," Neji sighed, "So Gai, that means…" Neji heaved a huge sigh,

"…Super spicy curry house!" Lee squealed. Neji went quiet again. The thought of curry made him feel sick. The pair continued to just not talk to each other. Neji looked casually at the ground. Lee looked everywhere, taking in the landscape he'd never bothered to see before.

"Hey do you remember when Gai-sensei left for this mission?" Lee asked,

"Yeah, why?" Neji mumbled,

"Mmn…Nothing, I'd ask sensei later anyway."

"Yeah, sure." Neji didn't really care about whatever was coming from Lee's mouth.

What could be keeping Tenten?


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you sooo sooo much for my first review! T^T reely made me wanna take this fanfic abit more seriously xXx from dumplingdoo to Who is it the devil prod.

* * *

He's not coming back

Tsunade watched helplessly as Tenten's eyes widened as she shook her head slowly. Tenten pivoted and ran from the tower as fast as she could.

She didn't care that her legs ached and her knees felt weak.

She began weaving through the forest, she didn't care that she grazed her elbows and branches stubbed at her toes.

The wind made her clothes flap like crazy and her eyes watered even more but she couldn't care on bit.

She wanted to see Lee and Neji. She wanted to hug her old teammates.

She wanted to see Gai walking through those Goddamn gates.

_For those minutes running in the forest,_

_That's all she cared about._

* * *

Tenten stumbled weakly towards the gates, holding out her arms in front of her.

Neji caught her arms and she collapsed into his chest. She sobbed into his chest, making his shirt stick to his skin, her hands clutched tightly at his sleeves.

"Tenten? Tenten what's wrong?" Lee asked worriedly, Neji picked Tenten up and they sat down on a bench. Tears were still running down Tenten cheeks. Lee put a comforting arm around her, Neji just watched her cry. "Ssh, ssh." Lee whispered into her hair as Tenten's shoulder shook up and down uncontrollably.

Neji watched Tenten cry. Large tears were dripping from her chin and her cheeks burnt red, her chest was heaving as she struggled to breathe between sobs. Neji had _never _seen Tenten like this; she was so raw in her emotion and she didn't care. Not once had she cried in a mission, not once in their gruelling training, not even when team 10 was dispatched.

Neji and Lee stopped htemselves from asking Tenten questions until her breathing had slowed down and she wiped away her tears.

"Now then," Neji said calmly, "What happened?"

Tenten's shoulders slumped down and her gaze met the gates. Lee and Neji watched Tenten's face anxiously. Her brows began to furrow and her lip wobbled.

"Gai's not coming back." Tenten said quietly,

Neji's hand curled into a fist. "Gai, he betrayed Konoha?" he asked confused,

"No." Tenten whispered though gritted teeth, disgusted that he could even think that Gai had betrayed them. She breathed deeply, and with a steady voice she said

"Gai, he's b-been killed."


	4. Chapter 4

Should be at Ichiraku's

_"Gai, he's b-been killed."_

_Those words reverberated in their silence. It was Lee who chose to speak first. Not thinking about the words he spoke, he said "..Are you sure?" he knew it was a stupid question. He didn't even have to think about the answer, she was sure. Fat tears were streaming down her scarlet cheeks. She began to cry harder, she put her head into her hands. He and Neji didn't need any more convincing. Tenten and Lee felt Neji's warm hands on their shoulders'. _

_"How?" Neji asked under his breath,but loud enough that Tenten had to give him an answer. Tenten lifted her head up, her hands placed themselves on her heart, she tried to slow down her breathing._

_"His body was found outside one of Oroichimaru's hideouts." she said with a croaky voice, "That's all Tsunade said." she added so that Lee and Neji wouldn't press the question any further._

_

* * *

_

Lee's footsteps were echoing away, getting fainter and fainter.

Tenten had leaned her head on Neji's hand that was still on her shoulder. Soft coils of flyaway brown hair were tickling his fingers. Her long eyelashes were casting shadows on her face as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"..We should get going too." Neji announced to Tenten, he stood up from the bench. Tenten lifted her head up and nodded. Without exchanging a word, Tenten got up on her feet and Neji swung his arm around her. The two walked into central Konoha. Neji felt her head nestle into his chest. Her hands rubbed his, to keep him warm.

Neji saw Konoha Hospital half a mile away from them, he slowed their walking to a very slow, steady pace. He chin was tucked over Tenten's head. He breathed in the sweet scent of her chestnut hair. The Hospital marks the spot where they part ways home, there Neji heads West and Tenten heads East. Neji sighed as they finally reached the building. Tenten reluctantly lifted her self off Neji, he noticed her dark brown eyes had slightly red rings around them.

"Night." Neji said to her quietly,

"Yeah. See you at work tomorrow." she sighed before heading home.

* * *

Tenten trudged up the spiraling stairs that led to her apartment. She stepped quietly down the narrow hallway and made her way into her small one bedroom apartment. She then bolted the door behind her, kicked her shoes off. In the bedroom, she flopped onto the comfy single bed, she stared up at the white ceiling. Her hand unconsciously reached out and snatched the calender sitting on her bedside table. She rolled onto her back and held the calender in front of her face at arm's length, her fingers traced over the bold pink letters written on that day's box.

_'This is so wrong.'_ The voice inside her head thought. '_Right now I should be laughing and smiling. So how had it turned out like this? I shouldn't be here.'_

Tenten closed her eyes. She could picture that day vividly. How that day was supposed to be.

After Lee would carry Gai's bags back they would've all gone to Ichiraku's -Gai's treat of course. Lee would've sat in between Gai and Neji; then Tenten sits on the other side of Neji. Gai and Lee would squirt chili sauce all over their ramen. Lee doesn't even like spicy foods that much, but still, he matches his old sensei. Neji and Tenten always sit together when the four go to Ichiraku's. Neji always gives Tenten his bean sprouts. Tenten always gives Neji her egg. After they'd have finished their ramen they would've just talked. They'd be amazed when Gai told them about his mission. Lee would gush about how far him and his Genin team were going along, Tenten would tell him all about the device she worked on with Shizune and Neji would tell Gai about his and Tenten's jobs at ANBU. But most of all they'd spend most of their night reminiscing about being Team Gai. Then they would've got shooed out of the ramen bar, because it was too late after hours, promising they'd meet up next Tuesday for super spicy curry.

_'But now what?'_, Tenten thought to herself. '_Instead of ramen, my stomach's empty. Instead of being surrounded by some of my closest friends...I'm alone.' _

*Knock*Knock*Knock* on the door

_'You what that is Tenny? It's a cat lady knocking on your brain asking to come in... Your going crazy.'_

*KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK* again on the front door, this time echoing loudly in the apartment.

_'Great. It's actually someone at the front door...at least I'm not going crazy...'_

"Someone at the front door!" she gasped aloud, snapping back to reality.

Tenten's eyes pinged open as she jumped out of bed. She quickly touched up her hair in front of the mirror. She cursed herself for crying as she dabbed away tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. She walked into the front room and grabbed a kunai from the coffee table and clutched it with one hand behind her back.

"Who is it?" she called cautiously at the door, surprised at how cracked up her voice sounded,

"It's me" a male voice boomed from the other side,

Tenten's heart skipped a beat. She loosened the grip on her kunai. She smiled and held her breath as she reached for the bolt.

'_**Don't be stupid.**' _her voice inside her head said sharply. Tenten's smile faded and her hand dropped limply to her side.

"Who's 'me'?" Tenten responded almost sourly, she squeezed the kunai tightly in her hand.

"It's me," the voice replied plainly,

before adding, "..um..Dattebayo"

* * *

**Sorry, not alot happens in this chapter , i've been rewriting this one over and over. I was so scared of screwing this up. T^T...yeah and that part about 'what that day should've been like' seems like such a drag now...oh wells**

**( i do love a bit of nejiten ) ~ dumplingdoo xX**

**you've read...why not review? -please review-**


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto's little visit

"Are you sure you're fine?" Naruto asked for the third time,

"Yes I'm sure." Neji sighed for the third time, Naruto slid the brown envelope over the table.

"...Iwao Kagome." Neji read, the name tasted dark and bitter in his mouth. "And this is definately the right guy for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, 'course." Naruto replied, before he gulped down his soup, "...and now I have to go _all_ the way over to tell Tenten.".

Naruto got up from his seat and swung his jacket over his shoulders.

"Wait Naruto..." Neji said in quietly in a low tone, so only Naruto heard, "don't let Tenten know what this Kagome guy _did_," he furrowed his brows then added, "and make sure she's okay."

Naruto nodded, his azure eyes showing concern for Neji for just a moment, then left the Hyuga compound.

* * *

Naruto ran up the sprialing stairs of Tenten's building. He lifted his fist against the door,

*Knock*Knock*Knock*

Naruto waited at the door for 10 minutes before knocking again,

*KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK*

..."Who is it?" called a voice 5 minutes after Naruto had knocked, the voice was craked and slightly croaky, but still recognisable as Tenten,

"It's me." Naruto shouted at the door,

"Who's 'me'?" Tenten replied almost sourly,

"It's me" Naruto repeated, before unsurely adding "..um..Dattebayo."

"..Oh great, it's Naruto." Naruto could just about hear Tenten say dissapointedly from the other side of the door.

A clinking of the door chain later, Tenten swung the door open. She forced a smile as she stepped away from the door to let Naruto in.

* * *

Naruto sat himself down the sofa, while Tenten sat opposite, two mugs of tea held in each hand.

He made no effort in hiding the fact that he admired the room, like a -slightly scared- kid in a candy shop, Naruto gazed around the four walls. Apart from the sofa, armchair, table and fireplace, every inch of the living room was a shrine to weaponry. The walls were adorned with kunai and shuriken of all sizes. One wall was completely dominated with twelve katana, their handles had the twelve animals of the zodiac twisted around them. The fireplace was also made out of steel and fitted in with the cold, shiny, pointy killing implements that covered every wall.

A red photo frame stood boldly on the fireplace, like the Sun dawning on arctic landscapes, the picture of a youthful Team Gai seemed to outshine the slick, cold weapons. Naruto smiled slightly at the photo, Tenten was so proud of being in Team Gai. Showcasing the photo in the room, among her beloved weapons. Some weapons she'd made herself. Hinata had told Naruto that some were even heirlooms that she never touched and were almost painful for her to look at. Some she'd spent years obtaining from different lands.

Tenten waited until Naruto's eyes had stopped wandering around the room and the blue eyes finally settled down onto the brown envelope resting on his lap. She handed him a mug of tea.

"How're you?" Tenten asked cheerfully, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence, a smile plastered on her face. Though a small twinge of disappointment was still clearly audible in her voice.

"Fine, thanks." Naruto's eyes began wandering again, "..and how are you?" he asked a tad reluctantly,

Tenten's smile faltered slightly,

"I'm fine.", she decided not looking at Naruto would make her feel less awkward and looked down at the coffee table, "How's Hina?"

"She's doing great," Naruto smiled,

"That's good to hear," Tenten's face relaxed slightly,

"She's are kinda worried about you, y'know."

"Tell her she should be more worried about herself and Sora," Tenten smiled, "..I'm fine."

Several long moments of silence had settled over them again, Naruto decided on casually sipping away at his tea, and Tenten silently watched the coffee table as if it would run away if she blinked for the slightest little moment.

Naruto pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment before softly saying "Ten..I heard they found Gai's body."

_'So now everyone knows about Gai' _she thought,

"Mm, yeah, Tsunade told me this morning," Tenten said matter of factly, still avoiding Naruto's gaze,

"You're alright with that?" Naruto asked surprised,

"I said I'm fine Naruto." she snapped defensively, "People.._like us_ don't let such things get to them. Right?"

"Yeah, of course." Naruto said, his brows furrowed,

"..So Shizune send you here?" Tenten asked, in a hurry to change the subject,

"Yeah," Naruto said apologetically, "Me, you and Neji's got a guy to grill tomoro.", sitting his empty mug on the table and he held the envelope out to Tenten. She took the envelope and rifled through the documents inside.

"..Iwao Kagome.." Tenten read with raised eyebrows, "He was one of Orouchimaru's followers, huh?",

"Still is," Naruto corrected, "He raised a small group of Orochimaru's old followers, crazy one he is."

"Great" Tenten sighed, tossing the documents onto the table.

Naruto rose from his seat and Tenten led him to the door. "Well, see you tomorrow."

"Yep," Naruto said, "Hope you're feeling better tomorrow too."

"I told you. I'm _fine_." Tenten said slowly, Naruto looked at her for a moment and nodded a bit doubtfully,

"Sorry, of course you are." he smiled doubtfully, Tenten rolled her eyes, Naruto smiled again and walked away from her door.

"**I am fin****e**!" Tenten shouted defiantly down the hallway.

"Sound like it." Naruto's voice called back, echoing from the stairs. Tenten sighed and slammed the door shut.

She really wasn't in the mood to be feel patronised, especially by Naruto. She was _thankful_ for his visit though. It reminded her that people still needed _her_. She had to put a lid on the raw, ugly emotions that surfaced from Gai's death. She wanted to be strong, cheerful Tenten. After the havoc filled day she had, she just wanted to go back to work the next day.

She bolted the door and went to bed, leaving the documents on the bedside table.

Hopefully sleep would make tomorrow come quicker.

* * *

**Gahh..sorry! i dont like this chapter..ugh..oh well. nothing much happens here**

**next chapter will be an interrogation and some maybe some nejiten..**

**apologies on this chapter ~dumplingdoo Xx**


	6. Chapter 6

Interogation of Kagome  
Part One

She doused her eyes with a generous helping of eye drops. Then checked herself once more in the mirror, making sure that nothing could give them the impression that she wasn't her normal self.

Her body, slipped into her usual black unifrom. Her hair, pulled into her usual twin buns. Her lips, forced into her usual bright smile.

Deciding she looked adequate, she made her way out of the apartment. She promised herself to be fine, even if it was just on the outside.

* * *

Neji leaned against the wall lazily, whilst Tenten stood rigid and alert. Naruto's voice boomed from the other side of the door, echoing in Neji and Tenten's silence.

Neji had grown tired of having to give a response to somebody that asked questions every 5 seconds. Tenten had long grown tired of trying to keep up a conversation with somebody who "Hn"ed at every attempt she made at conjuring up a flowing conversation. She now focused on listening to the muffled shouts from across the door.

Tenten looked at Neji, her lips relaxed out of her smile, they were parted just a little and he knew another question was ready to pounce off the tip of her tongue. He raised an eyebrow. Tenten's mouth closed like a goldfish, she blushed then looked away, pretending to take interest in the mould growing on the ceiling.

After 5 minutes Tenten looked back at Neji, blushing again -Neji still had his eyes on her.

He raised both eyebrows at her. Tenten nibbled her lips, her eyes looked up at the ceiling.

Neji stressed a long sigh,

"Okay, okay. It's really stupid though" Tenten sighed, "...I'm going to kill Kagome today aren't I?"

Neji stared at her blankly, "...maybe." he shrugged,

The booms and bellows coming from the other side of the wall said otherwise.

"..yeah, maybe." she agreed sarcastically, her fingers scratching at the corners of the large brown envelope in her hands,

Neji stared plainly at her, knowing he could not give her words of comfort that Lee or Gai could only provide.

"TENTEN, HYUGA!" came Naruto's shout, "..NOW"

Neji straightened up calmly, Tenten bolted upright. Neji glanced at Tenten,

"Ready?"

* * *

Iwao Kagome sniggered, his eyes bore into the bond haired shinobi that sat opposite him.  
Kagome knew his eyes made the goofy, blond ninja's skin crawl. The pair of striking yellow irises surrounded by black scleras loathed the sight of the shinobi.

The ninja drummed his fingers on the table, he gritted his teeth. "I'm asking you just once more," he said, trying to supress the urge to punch Kagome in the face, "_Did_ you or _did you not_ kill Maito Gai?"

Iwao lunged forward, only for the handcuffs to snap him back onto his seat.  
"Lord Orouchimaru WILL PUNISH YOU ALL!" Kagome shrieked, jerking his elbows and legs wildly, attempting to escape from the seat, "He will make you BEG FOR YOUR LIVES"

The ninja stood up and shoved Kagome back onto his seat. The drumming of his fingers stopped abruptly, his hand slammed onto the table. "TENTEN, HYUGA!..NOW"

The two ANBU swung the steel doors open, two shinobi walked in.

The male ninja instantly pissed Kagome off. He strolled, all high and mighty with that stupid, girly ponytail. The guy stood in the corner of the room. The girl walked in behind the guy, then stood behind the blond ninja. She had two buns on the top of her head, making her look like a panda. Kagome sensed there was something eerily familiar about her.

Although the girl had a smiling face, Kagome could tell she was anticipating something. Behind her smile she was worried. Why isn't her smile lighting up her whole face, she looks kind of sad. Kagome raked his fingers through his greasy hair._ Why should he care about her? He didn't even know her._

Kagome looked the girl up and down again. She was talking to the blond ninja. An ANBU's just given her a small object. The girl snatches the object, and gave the blond a pleading look. She mouthed something to him. The blond looked at her with regret and shook his head. For a split second the girl stared at the blond in surprise -even the pony-tail guy's eyes widened a fraction in shock. She regained her composure and turned herself to Kagome. Her hand gripped tightly around the mystery object, her warm chocolate eyes filled with pity.  
Suddenly the girl lunged forward. Striking Kagome in the chest.

**"What the fu-!?" **He looked up at her like a lost child, not able to find words. He gasped as he felt the warmth leaving his chest. His eyes broke from hers. He looked down. Surprisingly there was no blood gushing out of the stab.  
Her hand was wrapped around the patterned hilt lodged in his chest.

She's just stabbed Kagome. But he isn't bleeding.  
Warm blood should be pouring out of him. But there isn't.


	7. Chapter 7

Interrogation of Kagome  
Part 2

"Of course I'm ready." Tenten replied to Neji under her breath,

Tenten walked obediently behind Neji, flashing a quick smile at Naruto before she stood behind him. Iwao Kagome's eyes shifted from Naruto to Neji, then to Tenten. Tenten looked in the direction, but not at, Kagome as she felt his sinister eyes analyzing her.

An ANBU tapped her on the shoulder, the weapon lay on his flat palm.

* * *

Her ANBU subordinates would often moan to her, telling her how they would be so lucky to be able to handle that weapon, how much easier there jobs would be.

Honestly, Tenten didn't like being the only one that could wield it. She was supposed to cherish this weapon,  
but she'd never really had a feel for it, she'd never felt close enough to it, to display it in her home.

So she kept it at the Interrogation unit at ANBU, where it really was useful.

Tenten was Konoha's weapon master, and for the last 2 years, it was Tenten who'd been teaching amateur ANBUs' how to aim to kill.

She knew the pros and cons of every weapon. She knew the workings of every weapon.

From just one touch of a kunai she could name what metal it was made of, how much blood it'd drawn, how many times it was used and even what type of element the owner was.

She'd earned her title of 'Weapon's master'. She'd never boast, but she knew the title had earned her high respect from Konoha, Tenzoumura and Suna.

The title had also drawn downfalls though, they'd been a few people brave -and equally stupid enough to try and kidnap her when she was younger. Only one perpetrator had managed to get_ slightly_ close to her, but thankfully she was rescued.  
At a price.

* * *

Tenten snatched the weapon. Grimacing the feeling of the ridges and dips of the engraving pressing into her palm. She _really_ didn't want to do this to Kagome.  
After everything he'd done for her, she shouldn't be doing this.

Tenten gave Naruto a pleading look, she knew he didn't want to do this to him. '_Please_' she mouthed, the tiniest ray of hope lit up as Naruto looked at her.  
It flickered out as he shook his head.

Her mouth hung open in shock, even Neji thought this was way too much.

Tenten took a deep breath and faced Kagome.

His eyes shone like a felines; an evil yellow iris surrounded by black. His hair had grown past his chin and hadn't been washed for weeks.

His arms that had now been tied behind his chair were thin and painful to look at. His sallow cheeks only emphasised his smirk even more.

Tenten felt a pang of regret for letting this happen to him. After all, he'd only ever wanted to protect her. She _wasn't_ ready but it's her job to be.

She lunged at him. Feeling the cold, jade green tsuba thud into Kagome's fragile chest.

She felt her chakra ravaging it's way through his ribcage, eating away at tissue and bone until it latched onto it.

She felt any warmth that was left inside his cold heart tingle at her finger tips.

"**What the fu-**!" Kagome screamed before looking down at her hand on the katana handle, wondering if he'd really just been stabbed.

A katana handle was pressed firmly against his chest yet he felt no blade pierce him.

His shaky fingers pressed around his chest feeling for the blood he thought should be gushing out him at that moment.  
"You're not supposed to bleed." Tenten said, trying to keep Kagome calm,Kagome's hands dropped down to his sides, his heavy breathing dropped to a quiet whimpering.

They _both_ hated this.

* * *

**thankyou for reading, please review ^^ i'd love to know what you guys think,**

**'til next time (which will be a while) ~ dumplingdoo**


	8. Chapter 8

Interrogation of Kagome  
Part 3

Tenten backed away from Kagome slowly. A thread of the most luminous turquoise ran from his chest to her katana hilt. The thread pulsed at a steady beat.  
It made a pounding noise, a soft drumming. A soft drumming that could send a baby to sleep, yet it could drive a man insane.

Naruto gasped in a mixture of shock and amazement. Neji knew from his byakugan that it was indeed a chakra thread.  
The thread ran from the most sensitive, yet practically impossible, place to hit correctly.  
The core of the heart.

Tenten's hand shivered as the vibrations from his pulse ran up the handle.  
She nodded at Naruto, he cleared his throat and looked away from the hypnotic, pulsing thread.

"Iwao Kagome," he said evenly, "Did you _intentionally_ kill_ Maito Gai_?"

"N-no!" Kagome shouted, Naruto looked back to the thread. The thread began to pulse quicker and quicker; _he lied. Tears stung in the corners of Tenten's eyes._

"Kagome, it's useless to lie," Tenten said gently, "We'll know if you lie. So don't, okay?"

"Kagome, did somebody instruct you to kill Maito Gai?" Naruto questioned,

"Yes." Kagome stuttered. The pulse slowed back to it's original pace.

"Who?"

"Orouchimaru sama." Kagome whimpered, "He said that it'd bring me closer to Midori!" The thread pulsed quicker, but turned into a dark green colour. Kagome squeezed his eyes closed. His whimpering grew louder. "**I want to see Midori! I need Midori!**" he screamed impatiently.

His chakra thread pulsed faster and faster. It'd turned to a shade of green more deeper than a thousand crushed emeralds.  
Kagome opened his eyes and narrowed them on Tenten. "**You**." he snarled, "Your hair, your face, your eyes... Yet **you are not Midori**! You are nothing! She was **everything**!"

Tenten's hold on the katana hilt grew shakey. As fast as a hawk, Neji's warm hands clasped over hers, keeping the katana hilt in her hands. Tenten blinked back the tears.

"We can finish now." Naruto said to Neji and Tenten. Neji nodded, his hands let go of Tenten's. Yet she still held a tight, but shaky, grip on the handle. "We can finish now." Naruto repeated.

Neji placed a hand on her shoulder firmly. Tenten flinched away, her eyes on Kagome, on the thread running from him to her. "**Now**." Naruto boomed.

Tenten reluctantly backed further away from Kagome. The thread stretched thinner and thinner. As the thread stretched, Kagome could feel his heart being pulled forward into his ribs.

He could _feel_ the thread that knotted around his heart tighten, _strangling_ it.

The thread stretched until it resembled trip-wire, Tenten's grip on the handle loosened.  
"There." she muttered.

Suddenly, the thread flooded with what looked like black ink. This black crawled it's way up the thread. It hit the jade green tsuba, then disappeared.

Kagome thudded to the floor, taking the chair with him.

He rolled over, panting. The scleras of his eyes turned white, and the irises bloomed blue. His head turned to Tenten. His normal blue eyes searched for answers.

"L-Lady Tenten?" Kagome gasped in a weak, kind tone,

"Yes?" Tenten replied quietly,

"What..." Kagome's voice trailed off, as he looked at up at Tenten. He wondered how long it'd been since he last saw her. "_O-Orouchimaru_? has he done anything to you?"

"No,"Tenten smiled gently, Tenten bit her lip,"No...he was killed three years ago."

"Three years.."Kagome said with disbelief, "...It's been four years since...?" Tenten nodded. Kagome's eyes widened as he took it all in.

How he'd been lost for four whole years. He looked back up at Tenten. Her dark brown hair framed her face. She looked exactly like Midori.  
Except for her eyes. Her eyes are _exactly_ like her father's.

"You've made a fine jonin." Kagome smiled up at her, trying to ignore the pain searing through him. Although the curse had only just been broken, Kagome knew what was going to happen.

He wasn't angry or mad.  
He was just sorry; sorry that she had to kill him.

At last. He will be able to see Midori again.

* * *

**there it is...end of Kagome's part...(or is it?)  
this chapter's bloody awful isn't it?-but i hope you've enjoyed it :D-but yeah, i don't like this chapter...sigh...**

**please R+R, im willing to know how to improve! Ahh, now that 2 people have died, i may finally inject some more romance in this.  
~dumplingdoo xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

Origins Revealed

Day 3

_Tenten was very happy; firstly, she was curled up with a cup of tea. A hot cup of Earl Grey on a terribly cold day. Her frozen fingertips tingled as she wrapped them around the porcelain cup._

_Secondly, she was inside. The living room window offered a fantastic view of unfortunate Konohans wrestling with the torrential rain._

_Thirdly, she was in the company of the best smile in the whole world. Gai's pearly grin made the sun pale in comparison. Though now his lips pursed, then he spoke._

_"_Tenten, although I'd love to see how your exams go I-_",_

_"_You're going on a mission?_" Tenten interjected, "_My exams are in two days. Two days!_". She bit her lip and furrowed her brow. It'd only been three days since she got back from Suna, and already Gai was going off on a mission.  
_

_"_Well that is my job._" Gai said sheepishly, "_I suppose I could postpone this mission_." He looked guiltily at Tenten as if it was his fault she'd lost her temper._

_Tenten sighed and shook her head.  
_

_"_Sorry, sorry._" Tenten said quickly, " _I'm not angry. And it's not about you having to go off on a mission. It's that..._" '**You won't be here**' Tenten thought... "_... um, never mind. Where are you going anyway?_"_

_"_I'll be going to the Sound Village, and all of Orouchimaru's quarters._"_

_Tenten raised her brows. "_Orouchimaru?_" she said, quite amazed to hear his name. "_Why? He's already dead._"_

_Gai nodded. "_Correct. But his followers are still powerful- although quite small in numbers, there are prominent characters._" Gai bit his lip. " _Namely...Kagome of Tenzoumura._"_

_At the mention of that name the porcelain cup that warmed her fingertips crashed to the floor._

_

* * *

_

"Tenny?" Ino asked warily, waving her hand in front of a frozen Tenten; she'd been staring into her porcelain cup for the last twenty minutes.

Tenten's hands began to shake uncontrollably, huge droplets of hot tea ran down her fingers.

**"Don't go! Don't go!" **Tenten screamed hysterically, she gasped for breath, her shoulders heaved up and down. Ino plied the cup out of Tenten's strong grip.

"**Tenten? Tenten what the hell is wrong?" **Ino shrieked, she grabbed Tenten by the shoulders,"Hey, it's okay. Tenny, it's okay."  
**"B-But Kagome's going to kill Gai." **Tenten looked up at Ino, **"Ino, Kagome's going to kill him. W-we need to stop him." **

"Tenten! _Tenten!_" Ino shouted, staring hard into Tenten's eyes, "Hey, it's okay. You're here. It's safe here." she soothed.  
Tenten nodded, her breathing slowed down to normal. Her big brown eyes gazed up at Ino's.

* * *

"What's wrong? Was it work?" Ino asked demandingly. Tenten ignored the shiver that ran down her spine as she thought of what happened at the ANBU headquarters.

How had the same hands that killed Kagome be casually cradling a tea cup just an hour later?

"Have you and Neji had an argument?" Ino blurted out,

"What?" Tenten scoffed at Ino's random accusation. ino bit her lip and looked out of the window.

The heavens seemed to have opened up for Kagome. Rain

* * *

"Sorry." Tenten mumbled, shrugging Ino's hands away from her shoulders. Tenten turned a deep shade of crimson, then quickly looked out of the window. Ino sat back down in her armchair, crossed one leg over the other and watched Tenten intensely.

"How are you?" Ino asked after several, long silent moments.  
"I'm fine." Tenten managed to say.

"You don't seem 'fine' though Tenny." Ino always said the words no one else dares to, "Staring into a cup of tea... Screaming about this Kagome guy. That isn't fine."  
Tenten fought to hold back tears.

"You know?" Tenten asked, looking back at Ino, "People, they _expect me to be fine._ They expect me to _smile as usual_ and assure them that _I'm fine_. What else do I say? "No, I'm _not _fine. I smile _all fucking day._ Go back home and cry by myself" ?"

Ino took a sip of her tea, "You _don't_ have to cry by _yourself._"

"I _don't_ have to cry." Tenten corrected, "I _shouldn't _cry. I'm a ninja. Ninjas _don't_ cry.", she clutched at her sleeves, "Instead, we fight the bad guys right?"

"...Yes." Ino answered, uncertain whether Tenten expected a reply.

"We fight the enemy. And we kill them." Tenten said slowly, "Kagome..._wasn't_ a bad guy though."

"What kind of guy was he Tenny?" Ino asked soothingly, Tenten hesitated slightly.

"...Okay" Tenten said after a long time, "I-it was four years ago, when I was sixteen.", she looked uncertainly at Ino who nodded warmly for her to carry on, "...Four years ago. That was _also_ the year that Tenzoumura, known as the Heavenly Village, lost their leader. Her name was Midori. Kagome told me she once lead a powerful army that fought in the Great War... He was in that army." Tenten's eyes filled with tears yet again.

"Tenzoumura needed a leader, but Midori's heir didn't live in Tenzoumura. So Kagome was sent out on Midori's last orders..." Tenten let the tears fall,  
"...to find me"

* * *

**A/N**

**Thank you so much for reading. Sorry it took me such a bloody long time to update!  
****  
I will be working on a story which will be a prequel to _Counting teardrops. __(cue slight Kankuro-Tenten) _**

**After I've finished on the prequel, i'd continue with _Counting Teardrops_ (cue Lee drama, Neji's family angst, and Tenten's feel of obligations!)  
****  
Please feel free to Review**  
**((please do! You have no idea how much I love it when I get feedback off readers! I get such chuffties!)) , **

**~dumplingdoo**

**

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**

**Prequel is now up and published! yay! It's called 'Tangled up' **

**It starts on Tenten's 16th birthday and will end when Gai goes on his trip to find Kagome. It's will explore Tenten's childhood, her parents and fill in the gaps. Feel free to check it out...**

**Thank you so much for reading and supporting me x **


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